Stream TV to PC, MAC, iPad or iPhone

I haven't done any techy or IT related articles to date figuring there's a veritable cornucopia or plethora of other sites that focus on just that; but here an interesting device hitting the market that may have some applications for expats:



Article reprinted from Gizmag:

The trend toward ubiquitous global mobile media consumption without traditional boundaries and the convergence of internet and TV accelerated today with the release of the GBP229 (US$367) Hauppauge PCTV Broadway 2T which will stream TV to any iOS device (iPad or iPhone), Mac or PC with no third party app required. Whatsmore, Android support is expected to be added within six weeks.

The Broadway 2T is standalone (no computer needed), connects to your wired or wifi network and contains dual DVB-T tuners to enable streaming of a TV signal to a host device either over a home network or the internet, and hence to anywhere in the world. The 2T also has USB and video inputs so you can stream video from a USB device or set top box not to mention connecting an analog camera to create a remote home surveillance solution system viewable on an iPad or iPhone (big wow factor).

Just how the media measurement companies intend to deal with devices such as the Broadway 2T will be interesting to watch. Expats the world over might be watching local television in their home country on their internet devices in foreign countries, but their patronage will be irrelevant to most of the advertisers who are paying for that audience. It's not a problem yet, but it looks like becoming that way quite soon as media footprints lose their definition.

When mobile, your TV and content is accessed via your web browser. The 2T will also enable remote control of home content such as scheduling recordings and playing pre-recorded content.
The Broadway 2T utilises 802.11n wireless and its sophisticated MPEG-4 H.264 hardware compression codec ensure minimal demand on mobile device battery life.

 

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Here is another device:

Indonesian Haute Couture

Article from the JakartaGlobe April 1, 2011 (no April Fool's joke however)

Fashion world mourns the passing of pioneer Peter Sie. The man who introduced haute couture to Indonesia’s fashion scene, Peter Sie, passed away early on Friday.

Born Sie Tiam Le, Peter began working as a tailor in 1954 after graduating from the Vakschool Voor Kleermaker and Coupeuse in The Hague. As his business took off, Peter went from simply taking orders for garments to creating his own designs.

His loyal customers included the family members of Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno.

Musa Widyatmodjo, a senior fashion designer and co-founder of the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association (APPMI), said Peter really cared about Indonesia’s young fashion designers and was always willing to share his vast knowledge with aspiring designers.

“Last year, I met him at the Jakarta Food and Fashion Festival at Kelapa Gading Mall,” Musa told the Jakarta Globe. “He told me he was very happy to see young Indonesian designers emerging in the fashion world. He was pleased to see that the Indonesian fashion world was becoming a huge industry these days. Peter Sie was a great figure in the fashion industry. We will miss him very much.” 

Indonesian Haute Couture ? (High Fashion)

Eclats and plaudits go out to Indonesian fashion designer Tex Savario (a/k/a Rio) for his haute couture design for Lady Gaga which appeared in the May 2011 edition of Harper's Bazar Magazine in America.

 

Article from the JakartaGlobe explains:

A gown by young Indonesian designer, Tex Saverio, adorns Lady Gaga in the May edition of Harper's Bazaar magazine.

Gaga's stylist Nicola Formichetti announced it on his Twitter account that Gaga was donning the unique gown by Tex Saverio, also known as Rio, for the fashion spread.

In the photo published on Harper's Bazaar's Web site, Gaga wears the transparent black gown with ornate detailing.

On average, a piece by Rio goes for Rp 15 million ($1,700), and the gown worn by Gaga is priced at Rp 33 million.

Rio first burst onto the scene at a joint fashion show called Rejuvenate in July 2010, sending shock waves through the Jakarta fashion world and the international fashion blogging community.

Tex Saverio likes to experiment to produce his one-of-a-kind gowns. So far, he has adorned his gowns with feathers and faux leather with ornate details crafted by graphic designers. His style embraces a melange of technological and theatrical techniques.

Read Rio's profile on the Jakarta Globe here.

Indonesian Expatriate Spouses - NEW IMMIGRATION LAW

As reported in the JakartaGlobe April 8, 2011

Here are the key provisions of the new immigration bill that was passed by the Indonesian House of Representatives on April 7, 2011 which will affect expat spouses (women or men) who are married to  Indonesian nationals (men or women).  The new law is expected to be signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (Pres SBY) within 30 days.

• Foreign spouses of Indonesian citizens can get a permanent residence permit (Kitap) after two years of marriage. They will only be required to report to the immigration office once every five years — a free service — instead of the annual renewal currently required.

• If they have been married to an Indonesian citizen for at least 10 years, foreigners can stay in the country even after a divorce.

• Foreign spouses will be allowed to work in the country.

• Children from mixed marriages will automatically get a Kitap regardless of their nationality. Under the current arrangement, these children have to choose a citizenship at the age of 18. If they choose to adopt foreign citizenship, they have to apply for a residence permit.
• Foreign investors who have worked in Indonesia for three years, less than the five years now required, can get a Kitap.

• Former holders of Indonesian citizenship can get a Kitap.

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Hold your horses everyone.... this may not all get implemented as expeditiously as eager expat spouses (including myself) would hope for.  Additionally, I am relying upon secondary sources of information (press and media) as above and have not actually read the primary source (THE LAW) itself.

Moreover, we'll have to wait and see what modified version or draft President SBY actually signs into law, assuming that he does so and does not veto this Bill.  The Bill does not officially become law until SBY signs off on it; so we'll have to wait and see what he actually does sign off on and then read exactly what the law stipulates or says.

Furthermore, after a law is passed, supporting governmental regulations need to be codified or enacted in order to carry out the new law from an administrative point of view.  Such supporting governmental regulations (or administrative law) should ideally be enacted within one (1) year of a new law being passed.  Indonesian legislative representatives, however, have been known to be dilatory and miss deadlines.  The government has been told to speed things up, however.  

So, expat spouses married to an Indonesian who are hoping now to not have to renew their KITAS annually, obtain Permanent Residency (PR) status, and obtain a work permit are not out of the woods quite yet on all this.

In my case, my KITAS (limited stay permit) expires on September 8, 2011.  I will have been married to an Indonesian for two (2) years on August 30, 2011 one week prior to my KITAS expiring.  Does this mean that I will not have to renew my KITAS and will be eligible to alternatively apply for a PR under the new law and will be able to work after September 8, 2011 (which is the purpose and intent of this new law) ???   Unfortunately for me the answer is, NO !  It doesn't look like things will be in place administratively for this to take place in the next couple of months, and I will be forced to renew my KITAS until this all gets finalized and worked out.... 

Kudos go out to the Indonesian Mixed Marriage Society (Perkawinan Campuran Indonesia - or "PerCa") for their past, and continuing, grassroots lobbying efforts to see this all come to fruition and become a reality for so many cross cultural or trans-national married couples in Indonesia.

Indonesian Expatriate Spouses - NEW IMMIGRATION BILL

As reported in What's New Jakarta

Immigration amendment Bill – a welcome move for expatriate spouses:

The Indonesian House of Representatives and the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights have signed off on the long-awaited Immigration bill which will – assuming it becomes law – have huge implications for foreign nationals married to Indonesians. Presentlly expatriates in mixed marriages must renew their temporary residence permits annually – a costly and time-consuming experience. It will also allow foreign spouses to seek employment in Indonesia which should go a long way towards ensuring that unions are both financially secure and sustainable. As with most things awaiting legislative approval there will probably be much water flow down Jakarta's rivers before we see this bill come to fruition.

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As reported in the JakartaGlobe March 31, 2011

A long-awaited immigration bill promising significant and “humane” changes to the way expatriate spouses are treated in Indonesia is a step nearer to being ratified into law.

The House of Representatives and Ministry of Justice and Human Rights signed off on the immigration bill on Thursday evening, meaning the bill could be adopted into law during the next week’s House plenary session.

Eva Kusuma Sundari, a member of the House Commission III which oversees legal affairs, said expatriates — both men and women — who marry Indonesians would almost certainly automatically gain permanent residence.  The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislator said the law would mean expatriates would not have to renew their limited stay permits (kitas) each year.  Eva said the bill also allowed foreigners to remain in the country after a divorce, provided he or she had been married for 10 years.  This was for the sake of any children the couple may have, she said. Another key point was that foreign spouses would be able to work in the country, Eva said.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Patrialis Akbar said he was happy the “humane” bill was now ready to be passed.  He said that Indonesia was attempting to treat foreigners in Indonesia the same as Indonesians would be treated by other countries.

He hoped all lawmakers in the House would approve the bill.

A fuller story will follow.  

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UPDATE:  As reported in the JakartaGlobe April 7, 2011

Indonesian women have welcomed the passage of the Immigration Law that boosts the rights of foreign spouses of Indonesian citizens.

Isabelle Mace Panggabean, 31, who is half French and half Indonesian and married to an Indonesian, hailed the new law, saying said she would now be able to gain permanent residency.  The mother of one said she would now no longer have to extend her Kitas every year and would be able to work to provide for her family if her husband ever became sick.  Isabelle said she was concerned the Immigration Law would never be passed given the number of bills being discussed in the House.

Juliani Wistarina Luthan, an Indonesian citizen who has been married to a Japanese man for 15 years, thanked the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) for passing the “reformist” law.  She said her husband would no longer need to extend his Kitas.

Marissa said she and her foreign-born husband were happy with the law.  “Because we don’t have children yet, this is definitely going to be good for their future. Instead of their nationality being decided for them by default, now they have their own voice.”  She said her husband would also be spared the “hassle” of having to renew his temporary residence permit (Kitas) every year.  She said she was pleased the DPR had finally done something right.

Fahri Hamzah, deputy chairman of House Commission III, which hammered out the law together with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, described the passage as a “breakthrough.”  House Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso described the law as “monumental” and one of the most important pieces of legislation passed by the current batch of legislators.

The law grants permanent residency to the foreign spouses of Indonesian citizens after two years of marriage, requiring them to report to the Immigration Department once every five years.  The law also allows foreign spouses to remain the country if they are divorced after ten years of marriage. They can also work.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Patrialis Akbar said the law allowed children from mixed marriages permanent residency even after the age of 18.  “ We want to give protection to Indonesian citizens and their foreign families and relatives. They are the children of Indonesia. Their [foreign] wives and husbands are part of our extended family,” he said.  Patrialis said the law also meant that foreign investors could now gain permanent residency after three years, down from the current five.  The law goes into force in a maximum of 30 days, he said.

The law contains no details about property ownership, which is still being debated under a separate bill.

Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari told the Jakarta Globe that Citizenship Law provided the legal framework for foreigners wishing to become Indonesian citizens.

Julie Mace, a representative of the International Rainbow Alliance and the Indonesian Mixed Marriage Society, said they would wait to see how the law was implemented in the field.  She said she hoped that the concerned government ministries would implement the law, particularly the rights of foreign spouses to work in the country.

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UPDATE:   Editorial posted on the JakartaGlobe April 9, 2011

In a historic decision this week, the House of Representatives passed landmark legislation that will go a long way toward protecting Indonesian families and strengthening society as a whole.


In any society, the family is the building block for a strong foundation. If families struggle to stay together, society will be weak and, in turn, the nation will be vulnerable. The inverse is true if families can stay united.

The legislation that passed on Thursday allows foreign spouses of Indonesians to live here without having to apply annually to renew their permits. Such permits cost money and, though normally approved, add a certain amount of tension in families.

By removing this uncertainty and treating foreigners who choose to live here and build their lives here as part of the larger Indonesian family, the law will help to strengthen the social fabric. It will make each of us stronger individually while uniting us as a whole.

The law is an important first step in a long process. The issue is not whether foreigners married to Indonesians are allowed to work and live freely here, it is about our attitudes; about our willingness to engage with the world and about our commitment to support and protect all Indonesian families.

The next logical step must be to allow foreign nationals married to Indonesians to acquire property in the country. According to lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari , the House will deal with this issue in the upcoming revision of the Agrarian Law.

We urge legislators to move quickly on this piece of legislation and provide the peace of mind that all Indonesians family deserve. By being allowed to own property, not only will they be assured of having a roof over their heads, they will sink even deeper roots in this country, which will ensure further stability for the family unit.

We have made significant progress in what has been a long journey, but it is not yet over. More can and must be done to ensure that every individual who chooses to make this country their home feels truly welcomed and made to feel a part of society. If we can achieve this, it will enrich us enormously.

Poisonous Snakes of Indonesia

Here is some VERY useful and basic information for identifying the Poisonous Snakes of Indonesia borrowed from other sources on the web.   For full text and additional pictures see also the links below:

http://www.kostich.com/venomous_snakes.htm

http://www.expat.or.id/medical/poisonoussnakes.html

Coral Snake -- Ular Cabe

This rare burrowing snake only reaches a length of about 50 cm. His slim back body has a line down its length with yellow markings on the small, flat head the belly is black and white checkered. The tail has a red-orange tip like chili pepper or a 'cabe'. He is shy and usually unwilling to bite. The venom is neurotoxic.

Banded Krait -- Ular Welang & Ular Weling

Both the Malayan and the Banded Krait are black with yellow bands and may be from 1-2 meters in length. They are found in or near paddies and bamboo groves. If disturbed they jerk their body and attempt to hide their head in the coils of their body. Due to their small head, shyness, and reluctance to bite, the chances of a fatal bite is slim, unless one treads on the startled snake. Their neurotoxic bite causes little pain or swelling but can produce muscle weakness, loss of coordination and eventual respiratory paralysis.

Black Spitting Cobra -- Ular Sendok

King Cobra -- Ular Raja 

There are two species of cobra--- the king cobra, usually a resident of the paddies, and the Black Spitting Cobra, comfortable in semi-urban areas. Both are aggressive if disturbed. The Cobra is easily recognized when he rises and spreads his hood. The colors of the snake range from black to brown to olive. Both can reach a length of 4 meters. Only the Spitting Cobra, sometimes seen in Jakarta, can eject a spray of venom for several feet, aiming at the enemy's eyes. This can cause temporary blindness but can be removed with repeated rinsing with sterile water. The nuerotoxic bite of either can cause pain and swelling with general muscle weakness following and eventual respiratory paralysis.

Malayan Pit Viper -- Ular Tanah

Green Pit Viper -- Ulat Bankai Laut or Ular Hijau Ekor Mira

Both the Malayan Pit Viper and the Green Pit Viper are found around Jakarta. Each has a distinctive triangular head shape, stocky body, and a length of about 80 cm. Each has the ability to jump with great force when attacking. The Malayan Pit Viper is reddish brown with triangular markings on his sides and the Green Pit Viper is bright green with a distinct red tail. The Malayan Pit Viper rattles with his tail before striking as a warning. Vipers are nocturnal and can be easily be avoided by staying away from fields and rocky areas. The Hemotoxic bite causes immediate pain, swelling, bleeding, and tissue damage.

Blue Temple Viper

A tree snake whose bite is haematotoxic and indeed very dangerous. The affected limb of snake bite victim must be completely immobilized and a stretch bandage should be applied. The victim then needs to be transferred to the nearest hospital or emergency room for observation of signs of invenemation. We do not recommend to use antivenin, unless the patient is developing symptoms of invenemation, since most snake bites do not inject significant amounts of venom during a bite.
Manipulation of the wound, suction, squeezing, massage, cutting the skin or application of ointments or remedies only increases the absorption of the venom, and should never be attempted. A polyvalent antivenom (poly-antivenom) is available at the Denpasar General Hospital in Bali, and at the International SOS clinics in Cipete, Kuningan and Bali.

Sea Snakes

Toxic Caterpillars -- Ulat Bulu

Note: Not in the snake category, but just to make you aware, many varieties of caterpillars in Indonesia have an irritant in their fur. AVOID touching any caterpillars (ulat bulu), or the leaves which they crawl upon, in Indonesia as skin contact can result in swelling, welts and severe irritations.

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Identification

It is clear from these pictures that the dangerous snakes of Indonesia come in all shapes and colours and include some very common species. The problem is that they also vary in appearance within a species. Cobras and Colubrid species can vary a lot in colour depending on age, Habitat and moulting stage. This can cause fatal mistakes.

Effect of Bites

Bites from Cobras and Vipers are very painful and leave you in no doubt that you have a problem, but bites from Kraits, Sea snakes and Colubrid snakes have almost no immediate effect and can cause fatal mistake number two; ‘it doesn’t hurt so it must be a harmless species’ In the case of Kraits  by the time you start to get symptoms there will be nothing a hospital can do. In the case of the most dangerous colubrid species, the serious symptoms often take as long as day to appear. The clinical effects range from paralysis (Kraits and sea snakes) to blood disorders such as excessive clotting or bleeding (vipers and Colubrids) or in some case, a mixture of these. (Some vipers and Cobras).

Treatment

Because of the problems with Identification and lack of symptoms ALL snakebites by wild snakes should be treated as serious. People bitten by pythons may disagree but I know many people who have misidentified pit vipers as baby pythons!

The following recommended course of action has been composed from surveys done in India and Asia including data on survival factors from tens of thousands of cases.

1)  Don’t waste time with fist aid, tourniquets, sucking out the poison and the like. Get help, you will 
     need to get to hospital quickly. You should rest as much as possible so you will need someone to 
     transport you unless the hospital is close.

2)  Go to a modern, well equipped hospital with the following facilities: Intensive care unit with 
     equipment for assisted breathing, heart monitoring and emergency resuscitation. This is to deal 
     with the effects of respiratory and cardiac failure resulting from cobra or krait bites. You will also 
     need facilities to deal with transplants of blood, plasma, etc and dialysis.  This is in the even of 
     bites by vipers or colubrids which can cause kidney failure.

3)  Get as much information as possible about the snake, Have someone find it,  kill it and bring it 
     with you if possible but failing that, get pictures and try to identify it (you may need help with 
     this!) Hospitals in Indonesia are not usually staffed by snakebite experts and they will need all the 
     help they can get. 

4)  Antivenin (antivenom) should only be used if it is made from the same species and
     comes from the same country as the snake. Antivenin treatment is risky since it usually causes a
     severe allergic reaction and it is only worth the risk if it is done exactly right.

Cockroach of the Sea - Bug on a Plate

These are very appealing and colorful "bugs" though... 

I found a related article by another writer or blogger that is very reminiscent of my first experience eating lobster.  Excerpts from the story are copied below these pics which I took at a restaurant at Central Park Mall in Jakarta the other night.

"The Cockroach of the Sea" - blog article by Stephanie March

In a floating restaurant, with buoys hanging from the ceiling and the full complement of other nautical trappings, I ordered my first lobster. I was eight. Not a big seafood fan, I hemmed and hawed over the menu, which was crammed with clip-art renderings of comical sea creatures, until my Uncle John leaned over and said, “Go ahead and order a lobster, we’re celebrating!” Well, if we were celebrating, lobster must be like having cake for dinner, I thought. Sign me up! When the ridiculous red monsters were brought to the table, I watched as everyone dove in, cracking claws with gusto, melted butter dripping everywhere. All I could do was look at the giant bug on my plate. Someone eventually helped me crack it open and pull out some meat. As I sat chewing my little lump, my family looked to me expectantly, eyebrows raised, waiting for my precocious verdict. I said it was delicious. I lied.

Suffering my way through most of it, I learned a fine lesson in peer pressure. Lobster is a delicacy! Lobster makes everyone happy! C’mon, everyone’s eating it! I thought lobster was rubbery, smelly, and had no flavor other than that of algae and butter. But clearly there was something wrong with me, because the mere mention of lobster caused adults to loll their heads and go “mmmmm,” evidently recalling cherished moments with their little red friends.

The crustacean that has transported you is most likely Homarus americanus. Although this species is found anywhere from the Canadian Maritimes down through the Carolinas, it is widely known as Maine lobster, due in no small part to Maine publicists. European lobsters, Homarus gammarus, are basically the same as the American, just smaller.

The American love affair with the lobster actually had a late start. Early settlers thought them too ugly to eat, and witnessed the Native Americans using them for field fertilizer and fish bait. The creatures were so plentiful that they could be plucked effortlessly from tide pools. They were considered “poverty food” and served to prisoners and indentured servants. In Massachusetts, servants were outraged and lobbied for a law that would limit their lobster meals to no more than three per week.

Some stories credit John D. Rockefeller for the change in lobster’s social status. Legend tells of a wayward pot of lobster stew that was destined for the servant’s table and somehow made it to the master’s tray. He fell in love, and the dish became part of his regular menu. And what’s good for John D. is good for everybody! In truth, it was the canning industry in the late 1800s that popularized lobster, bringing packed tins of meat to all corners of the globe. World War II gave another boost to the industry as lobster answered the increasing demand for protein-rich foods. In the later boom years, per-capita consumption increased and lobstermen saw increasing profits, along with mounting competition. The lobster industry was one of the first to recognize the need for protective guidelines and limitations on fishing practices.

Today, lobstering is a grueling, labor-intensive, and closely guarded profession. “Lobster gangs” along the East Coast, comprised of fishermen with particular skills or family ties, don’t necessarily maraud through the waters, but they do defend their territories. This not only ensures their communities’ livelihood, but helps prevent over-fishing of limited resources.

While some have dubbed lobster the “cockroach of the sea” for its indiscriminate scavenging, lobstermen simply call their catch “bugs,” which is no coincidence, as a lobster’s nervous system is most like that of a grasshopper (lobsters and insects both hail from the arthropod phylum). This means that they don’t feel pain in the way that humans do, which is good because boiling them alive is simply the best way to cook them. As for the supposed “scream” emitted when they are plunged in boiling water—that’s the air escaping from their shells, which can produce a high-pitched whistle. You are not sadistic, you are just hungry. Once plopped in the pot, all lobsters turn red, no matter their original color, which is most often a mottled dark blue shade, but can be yellow, orange, purple, or even half-and-half.

Once you buy a lobster, you can actually keep it around for a few days, provided it spends them in a cool moist environment. But do not put them in your bathtub thinking you are being nice—freshwater to a saltwater creature is like diesel in an unleaded car. And by all means, keep the rubber bands on the claws, not only for your own safety, but for the bug’s: Lobsters are quite territorial and can go cannibalistic in close quarters.

The real question is: To bib or not to bib? When it comes to savoring lobster, it’s easy to find restaurants serving up sparkly, funky, elaborate dishes—but I’d strongly recommend sticking with the preparation that best highlights the essence of lobster. In other words, go for the bug-on-a-plate. However, you can leave the bib off, as shelling needn’t be a massacre. Simply twist off the claws and use a cracker to expose the meat. Next, separate the tail from the body and remove the tail flippers (don’t forget the meat there.) Use a fork to push the tail meat out in one piece. Discard the sick black veiny thing running down the middle. Separate the top body shell from the underside by pulling them apart. You’ll notice a green substance called tomalley. Some people think it’s a lord-lovin’ delicacy and spread it on toast. I think it’s water-toxins processed through a prehistoric liver, but you be the judge. Finally, crack the underside down the middle and gnaw on the legs.